I think that's amazing, but we have a ways to go. Prosthetics that use brain waves or implanted brain sensors always require some training before you can get them to work, which requires some degree of concentration in order to turn every servo. If we can get it to the point where we can pick up and use the normal commands our brain uses to move muscles, intercept it and replace it so that we don't need to train people, then that'd be even more awesome.

She gets a state-of-the-art mind-controlled prosthetic and what does she do with it? Shove chocolate bars down her throat. Oh, well. I'm not any better. I'd have the wrist servos worn out in a month and it would smell like burnt vasaline.

RexTalionis:I think that's amazing, but we have a ways to go. Prosthetics that use brain waves or implanted brain sensors always require some training before you can get them to work, which requires some degree of concentration in order to turn every servo. If we can get it to the point where we can pick up and use the normal commands our brain uses to move muscles, intercept it and replace it so that we don't need to train people, then that'd be even more awesome.

You realize, of course, that you had to do the same thing when learning to use your own arms and legs as a baby right? Or when you learned to ride a bike, drive a car, play an instrument, or do any other thing that you never had done before? The brain does not run off a C++ interpretor; There is no MoveLeftShoulder(*azimuth, *elevation, *torque) function that gets called every time you want to move your arm. Through a system of trial and error your brain has learned that certain impulses will create corresponding affects on your various appendages and it has refined that knowledge to more or less of a degree depending one just how "agile" you are. The system they have created is really no different. It would begin as somewhat random, jittery motions as random impulses from the brain and picked up and translated into the motion of the arm. Through visual feedback, the patient's brain is able to remember and reinforce those impulses that resulted in a desired motion. Eventually it would become so second nature that they would no more have to concentrate on moving the proscetic arm than you do to move your biological one.

Frozboz:So the first thing she uses it for is grabbing a chocolate bar?

I try to describe this kind of posting on the internet as "...criticising a sunny day or arguing with a mailbox."

Seriously. This poor lady has, no doubt, been spoon fed boring institutional food by nursemaids for however many years. Damn straight she goes for the chocolate. If the vending machine in the lab had a bacon dispenser, I suspect that'd be on the menu too.

I try to describe this kind of posting on the internet as "...criticising a sunny day or arguing with a mailbox."

Seriously. This poor lady has, no doubt, been spoon fed boring institutional food by nursemaids for however many years. Damn straight she goes for the chocolate. If the vending machine in the lab had a bacon dispenser, I suspect that'd be on the menu too.

Well, it's also easy. It's thin, easy to grip, rigid, and easy to insert into mouth. Something like a sandwich is too floppy to really use and fruits and veggies have non-uniform shapes and require amounts of pressure to grip effectively. Chocolate / granola bar was a good first choice.

/Besides, who wants citrus in their eye?//Or a robot arm steering a fork towards their face?

There is a less obvious but equally amazing 'BORG' implant that many have been wearing for years. It is an artificial lens, that uses 13 layers of nanotechnology to replace cataract damaged lenses. It automatically adjusts for distance/close vision and light conditions. With it, when combined with a 2nd generation laser eye surgery tool, one never needs eyeglasses or contacts again. This technology is no longer experimental or in a special laboratory. It is FDA licensed and available to anyone who passes the qualifying eye exam used to determine if they are a suitable candidate.

RexTalionis:I think that's amazing, but we have a ways to go. Prosthetics that use brain waves or implanted brain sensors always require some training before you can get them to work, which requires some degree of concentration in order to turn every servo. If we can get it to the point where we can pick up and use the normal commands our brain uses to move muscles, intercept it and replace it so that we don't need to train people, then that'd be even more awesome.

You basically do the same thing as an infant. This is part of why infants are so uncoordinated.

The really big step is going to come when we stop trying to merely mimic human limbs and organs, but actively start improving on them. The point where you might reasonably consider "upgrading" a perfectly healthy limb to an artifical replacement. Eyes with built-in zoom, for instance. Or legs which never tire and have twice the strength of an athletic human's, allowing for greater-than-human running speed and jumping.

I try to describe this kind of posting on the internet as "...criticising a sunny day or arguing with a mailbox."

Seriously. This poor lady has, no doubt, been spoon fed boring institutional food by nursemaids for however many years. Damn straight she goes for the chocolate. If the vending machine in the lab had a bacon dispenser, I suspect that'd be on the menu too.

Absolutely. I'd go for the chocolate bar too, to be quite honest. And, good for her. I hope this kind of stuff keeps improving. Just struck me as funny: millions of dollars of research and development goes into helping the handicapped use cool technology to --- eat chocolate.

cgraves67:She gets a state-of-the-art mind-controlled prosthetic and what does she do with it? Shove chocolate bars down her throat. Oh, well. I'm not any better. I'd have the wrist servos worn out in a month and it would smell like burnt vasaline.

The woman who played T'Pol in "Enterprise", though... like they stuffed oranges into her tits. Ugh.

Hate to burst your bubble(s), but if you photo stalk her (I wanted to know if her funbags were artificial), there are photos that indicate that Jeri did have a bewb job at some point. I will say it was a nice one as she does not look pneumatic like some other actresses do. She probably went to the same doc who did whatever subtle magic Meryl Streep is getting done over the years.

Gordon Bennett:cgraves67: She gets a state-of-the-art mind-controlled prosthetic and what does she do with it? Shove chocolate bars down her throat. Oh, well. I'm not any better. I'd have the wrist servos worn out in a month and it would smell like burnt vasaline.

I think what you're looking for is this "sock rolling" robot. (pops, youtube)

Dude, I totally need to get one of those robots, a fleshlight and a drum of lube.

The woman who played T'Pol in "Enterprise", though... like they stuffed oranges into her tits. Ugh.

Hate to burst your bubble(s), but if you photo stalk her (I wanted to know if her funbags were artificial), there are photos that indicate that Jeri did have a bewb job at some point. I will say it was a nice one as she does not look pneumatic like some other actresses do. She probably went to the same doc who did whatever subtle magic Meryl Streep is getting done over the years.

I dunno, I've yet to see a boob job that didn't have something indicating that the boobs are less than real. Scars, stiffness in the tits, unusual shape.

RexTalionis:I think that's amazing, but we have a ways to go. Prosthetics that use brain waves or implanted brain sensors always require some training before you can get them to work, which requires some degree of concentration in order to turn every servo. If we can get it to the point where we can pick up and use the normal commands our brain uses to move muscles, intercept it and replace it so that we don't need to train people, then that'd be even more awesome.

What I'm waiting for is something in the reverse. A prosthetic that can send feedback back to the brain. Loss of sensation and feeling is the only thing that would keep me from cybernetics.

You tell me I can still feel? Get the farking cleaver and go to town. I want robot arms.